In the last chapter we were introduced to our heros and heroines and learned about the drumline mascot, Captain Insano, and his mysterious disappearance. Read on to find out what happened at lunch that day.
And now for The Marching Beagles!
Amanda approached the door to room 101 with some trepidation. Slowly she turned the handle with her eyes screwed shut and braced herself for the wrath of a wound-up Mallory. However the door didn't budge under her hand. She cracked open an eyelid and tugged on the handle a bit more insistently. Giving up all restraint she finally jiggled the handle furiously up and down. Suddenly the source of her problem became crystal clear. In her preoccupation she had forgotten that room 101 was the chorus room. She should have been in front of room 105. Feeling somewhat sheepish she turned and headed to the correct classroom.
However, in her confusion she forgot to mentally prepare herself and was caught unawares as she entered the room. Upon stepping inside she was literally knocked over by an agitated Mallory. From her vantage viewpoint on the floor she could almost read the paper Mallory was waving around. Squinting, she grabbed the sheet of once again plain white typed paper and read it.
CAPTAIN INSANO WILL BE RETURNED ON FRIDAY. WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS. LOVE, THE KIDNAPPERS.
"Friday! FRIDAY!" she was shouting and gesticulating wildly as Sked read the note. "How on earth can we wait until Friday. It's only Wednesday! Plus we have a competition that day. We'll go crazy. Completely bonkers!"
"Short trip," Abigail cheerfully remarked, coming up to the group. Mallory was too worked up to do more than shoot an annoyed glance at Abby to returned an innocent smile.
Mallory then went off on a new tangent. "Derek thinks that it was the trumpets. Brain disagrees but only because he's usually a trumpet player."
She continued musing on this vein for awhile until Sked cut her short. "Did you ever think of the flutes?"
Abby shook her head violently. "No, I can guarantee it wasn't us. The seniors are cool but not that cool. The clarinets are more likely. I can see Casey coming up with a plan like that."
"But she was at the doctors this morning so she couldn't' have done it," Sked pointed out.
"Whoever it was had at least one accomplice. The note said kidnappers," Abby thought out loud. "A group should be a little easier to find than a single, renegade band member. More people with the potential to trip up and leave clues."
"Come on Nancy Drew, let's go find food," Sked teased.
"If I'm Nancy Drew then who are you?" Abby questioned, following Sked towards the cafeteria.
"Well normally I'd be the crook but since I didn't touch the rat, I'll be one of the Hardy Boys. But at the moment I feel like Bess. I'm starving!" she declared. Abby simply rolled her eyes as they walked into the cafeteria and sat at their usual table.
A few minutes later the whole group was sitting at the table talking and pondering Captain Insano's disappearance.
"I bet it was the guard!" Amanda suddenly announced. "I mean think about it. Drumline and Colorguard are the two little factions of the marching band. The winds are the major part so the two smaller parts fight. It's the sibling rule. PJ's closer to my size than Amelia so I pick on him." Dhe nodded sharply as if to point out the logic of her argument.
"It's possible I suppose" Mallory's voice trailed off. "But I still think it was the trumpets!" she declared smacking her fist into the table.
"I don't think it was," Brian said thoughtfully. "Travis and his cronies aren't creative enough to come up with something like that much less pull it off. Jackie never shows up and Rand would do it but if he did I'm sure I'd know about it."
"We're overlooking something," Abigail mused. "We're looking at big groups like the trumpets and the guard. What about a small section like the trombones are even a small cluster of random peopl?" She stared into space with her brow furrowed in thought.
"Dour wouldn't do that!" Mallory cried, referring the first chair trombonist and one half of the section.
"Hold on Mal, Abby has a point. Dour would I think. That rat annoys him and he'll go for anything with a good laugh potential," Sked said reasonably, "plus there's one section we're all overlooking." Everyone leaned forward, interested in Amanda's latest revelation.
"Percussionists," she announced with a flourish, leaning back cooly in her chair.
A stifled squeal escaped from Mallory's lips. "if you're suggesting for ONE minute that we took our OWN mascot Amanda Louise Skedson, you are a VERY dead girl," she raged.
"The guilty are often the most angry," Sked wisely said, then abruptly shifted gears, "Just kidding Mal, I know you're innocent. What I'm thinking is a rouge drumliner. Maybe Mark?" she suggested.
Mallory wrinkled her nose. "Maybe but I really doubt it. I just can't see anyone from the drumline doing that. Those that don't care about the cute little ratimaque are willing to humor the rest of us. They're stupid, not malicious. Plus Heather likes him. They won't get on her bad side," she said referring to the drumline instructor and Beagles veteran.
"Drum majors!" Tiffany suddenly shot out. When everyone looked in amazement at the shy, quiet Tiffany she blushed profusely and started explaining. "Drum majors have always disliked the drum line. With them trying to set the tempo and drumline pointedly ignoring them and the winds getting hopelessly confused there's bound to be at least a little resentment there." Sked nodded at the validity of Tiffany's arguments.
Derek however shook his head violently. "Nuh-uh! It wasn't us," he said defensively.
"Well of course they wouldn't tell you, Derek," Sked pointed out logically. "If the drum majors planned this they wouldn't tell the one who's in percussion and dating a drumline girl."
"Nah," Kevin said, finally speaking up. "Sari and Vanessa consider themselves above petty quarrels and childish games. If they got annoyed they'd simply go complain to Mr. Dronnin that the band didn't respect their authority."
The bell rang at this point, cutting off further speculation. Soon enough the mystery would be solved.
So we still know nothing. Where could Captain Insano be? Will Mallory survive without her ratimaque? Will Sked and co. be forced to kill her before they lose their minds? Stay tuned for chapter 3 of "The Disappearance of Captain Insano"
